Local and regional agriculture is a major driver in the farm economy. Producers are responding to skyrocketing demand for local and regional food by increasing production, creating new markets, and launching new businesses.
At Catholic Rural Life, we advocate for greater opportunities, improved infrastructure, marketing, and substantial federal attention paid to local and regional agriculture.
Substantial support for local farms and food systems means:
- Creating economic opportunities for farmers and ranchers through local and regional markets.
- Improving processing and distribution infrastructure for local and regional agriculture.
- Expanding access to healthy food for consumers, including underserved communities.
- Providing research, training, and information that farm entrepreneurs need to be successful.
Why It Matters:
- Empirical research shows that expanding local agriculture in a community can increase employment and income in that community.
- Every two jobs created at a farmers market supports an additional job in another sector of the local economy.
- Investment in local and regional agriculture will address the needs of a large and growing sector of American agriculture.
To read more, please visit the USDA website on Local Food Systems.
